Pass the Budweiser?!?!?

Mike Leake 6 Comments

I have no idea where I got this. All I know is that it is from D.A. Carson. If someone knows where it is from please leave it in the comments. This really puts contextualization into perspective:

Paul refuses to circumcise Titus, even when it was demanded by many in the Jerusalem crowd, not because it didn’t matter to them, but because it mattered so much that if he acquiesced, he would have been giving the impression that faith in Jesus is not enough for salvation: one has to become a Jew first, before one can become a Christian. That would jeopardize the exclusive sufficiency of Jesus.

To create a contemporary analogy: If I’m called to preach the gospel among a lot of people who are cultural teetotalers, I’ll give up alcohol for the sake of the gospel. But if they start saying, “You cannot be a Christian and drink alcohol,” I’ll reply, “Pass the port” or “I’ll think I’ll have a glass of Beaujolais with my meal.” Paul is flexible and therefore prepared to circumcise Timothy when the exclusive sufficiency of Christ is not at stake and when a little cultural accommodation will advance the gospel; he is rigidly inflexible and therefore refuses to circumcise Titus when people are saying that Gentiles must be circumcised and become Jews to accept the Jewish Messiah.

UPDATE: As Barry Wallace pointed out in the comments I think I originally got this quote from Justin Taylor’s blog. I should have assumed that.

How Should We Read the Book of Revelation?

Mike Leake 8 Comments
How do you read Revelation? Is it a mystical document that tells the story of the end of the world? Is it a cryptic document that John uses to clothe his message to struggling Christians? Is it a timeless document that has a mixture of both? And I guess you could have a few other options as well.

I once believed it was a mystical document giving us clues to the end of the world. I have since changed my view. I think John had a particular message to the people of his day. John knew what he was writing and he knew what this vision meant. Once my view changed the pendulum began to swing too far the other way into a cryptic document that explained events that have very little to do with the future. This is where I am today—tomorrow this might change:

History tends to repeat itself. Therefore, is it possible that Revelation describes relevant history for John’s people but also relevant history for people throughout the centuries? I tend to read Revelation as the ongoing cosmic reconciliation that is taking place with its ultimate culmination in the victory of Christ over all. In a way I think it has the same message that we have been discussing in Ephesians: God redeems broken people and a broken world. It meant that to John’s audience and it means that to us.

Will there be more intense persecution as we close out the chapters of this book and open up the pages of the next? Certainly. Will there be a literal end times Antichrist? Perhaps. Is John foretelling of a one-world economic system? Maybe, but I do not think that Revelation is about John looking into a crystal ball and trying to explain in his terms what he saw. Again, the Book of Revelation, in my opinion, is about “uniting all things in him, things in heaven, and things on earth.”

What do you think?

New Sermon Available

Mike Leake

In case you missed it David has faithfully put Wednesday’s sermon online. It’s out to the right. This sermon is on Ephesians 3:1-13. I had preached on this text awhile back and took it in a little different direction this time.

Again the sound is a little rough (no fault of David’s). We are hoping to get a lapel mic or something pretty soon and then the sound will be better.

This Week in Blogworld 3/27

Mike Leake 1 Comment

Please tell me this is not serious, look at what Greg Gilbert has posted, without comment. UPDATE: For some reason they took down the link at 9Marks. Here is what he had linked to.

Abraham Piper points us to the Tim Keller Wiki page.

So, maybe it’s a good thing that I haven’t gotten into Facebook. According to this guy, Facebook makes people dumber. (HT: Richard)

I had the wonderful opportunity of meeting Tom Schreiner this week. I was overjoyed to come back and find that his sermons are available online. (HT: JT)

Jonathan Leeman offers two tips for promoting kingdom mindedness when preaching.

Part 4 of CJ’s interview with Powlison.

Can ei me mean but in John 3:13. See Mounce’s answer.

Phil Johnson continues his discussion on “The Pornification of the Pulpit”

R. Scott Clark has some advice for young preachers. (HT: Milton)

See Driscoll on Nightline debating the existence of Satan.

Here is a very faithful witness to the redeeming power of Jesus:
(HT: Denny)